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3 year old "art genious"

By Jennifer Brice
First Coast News
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA -- A local artist is already capturing the attention of galleries and critics. An artist so young his "studio" is made of newspapers that line his parent's home.
Dante Lamb has already created 100 paintings in just two years. He's young artist who's blazing a trail before most even pick up a paint brush.
If you take a stroll into the "Monkey Love Desert Bar and Gallery" in St Simons Island, you'll see all eyes are on a new art show. But to understand the abstract paintings, you've got to meet the boy behind the brush -- Dante Lamb.
"Double Poopsy; that's a good name."
A good name for his new painting says the 3 year old. People are saying the little guy is way ahead of his time.
Brit Figueora owns the gallery and says his work is all technique. Figueroa decided to feature the "Little Picasso's" art in her gallery.
She says his brush stroke is genius.
"It's not your rigid stroke that would be found in a preschooler."
And he naturally picks good color. "I like the white," Dante says as he squeezes out half the bottle.
Art critics are comparing Dante's work to some of the best in the art world. But if you ask Dante, "They're all originals."
And he's not shy to sell. One painting already went for $85 dollars. Not bad for a tot who started out with crayons and chalk says Dante's mom, Aimee Lamb.
"He's kinda snobby now. He won't even do crayons and chalk anymore."
Mom says the talent came naturally. Dante says he just likes to paint.
Some of Dante's art pieces are in the $300 range. Right now his art is exclusively sold out of the "Monkey Love Desert Bar and Gallery" in St. Simons Island.

The art world is such a piece of shit faggot run operation, there's always a "new" thing, they try to latch onto it and put it on their walls and then throw it out the next day when it's out of season. Fuck it, remember the guy that used to vomit and sell that shit on canvas, where the fuck is he at, the art world is such a flaming homosexual of a society, fuck it, i hate it, remember in the 80's when the new thing was graffiti, yea, eat a dick art world.

the amount of power that some galleries have is absolutely fucking disgusting. a few key people can decide who makes it and who doesn't. that's the problem with "society's elite"...some wanna be will jock whoever they say is the next big thing. fuck those bastards...support your local shitbox gallery that has the balls to showcase questionable artists with real talent. keep art subjective.

that is the dumbest thing Ive seen in a long time. Sure hes 3 but come on, if I had a paint brush and some paint when I was 3 I would have been tearing shit up too. when I was like 5 I took some crayons and practiced my name in cursive all over the bathroom. Walls, tub, floor, wastebasket. everything. I wasnt a genius, I was a bad boy with a sore ass. Thats why they didnt show his work. If he has some technique and a hint of intended skill or concept, then I will retract everything.

Attendees at this year's Decor Expo show in Atlanta may have noticed some commotion at the Cottage Garden Collections booth. Several artists were featured, but only one was in attendance: Dylan Scott Pierce. Crowds regularly formed to watch Dylan create a new watercolor, and they were amazed as much by his age and composure as by his talent. Dylan's only 16 years old.

As a toddler, Dylan Scott Pierce began exhibiting the artistic talent often demonstrated by child prodigies. "I remember him drawing simple shapes like squares and circles," remembers his mother, Sandy Pierce. "He would look at them until he 'saw' images in the shapes and then transform them into lifelike sketches of his favorite animals -- lions and dinosaurs." He was 3 at the time.

By age 9, Dylan was applying brushstrokes to the first of several commissioned portraits (he's also done a few self-portraits). Today, his remarkable abilities have evolved into mature, strikingly realistic depictions of the wild animals he loves and paints. In August, he was profiled in a National Geographic special. The show chronicled a day in Dylan's life as he painted at home in Destin, Fla.

Sandy said people tell her that Dylan must be the reincarnation of Rembrandt or Monet. But Dylan, a soft-spoken, spiritual young man, offers his own explanation: "I believe this talent is a gift that God gave me. We all have talents, but I was fortunate to find mine at a young age. I try to keep bettering my artwork, bringing it to the next level. For me, painting is a passion -- it's not work."

Dylan works in several mediums, including graphite, colored pencils, oil, pastels and watercolors (his favorite). He also likes to vary the locations where he paints. Inspiration may strike Dylan outdoors, amid nature's beauty, or in his light-filled Florida studio. He's primarily self-taught, having taken just a few art lessons. All he needed was to learn mixing techniques and the various mediums.

"Dylan is a quick study," Sandy offered. "After one or two months of lessons, his teachers basically ran out of things to teach him!" She added he completed his first self-portrait -- a pastel -- after observing his instructor's technique for just two hours. In 1996, ten-year-old Dylan applied and was accepted to exhibit at the Atlanta Arts Festival, where he earned a first place award for children.

After that, he placed second in a juried competition for adults at the Kennesaw Fine Arts Society, near Atlanta. Dylan then began traveling cross-country with his mother to exhibit his wildlife watercolors at traditional adult art shows. Today, he participates in more than 40 shows each year and has won numerous awards, including Best of Show, People's Choice, First Place and Merit.

Because Dylan travels extensively, he is home-schooled by Sandy. That has allowed him to continue his education and explore the subjects he finds most interesting, most notably photography. In fact, his camera has become an exploratory tool to capture the realism found in his subjects. "As I observe and photograph animals, it's as though I can almost see what they're thinking," he said.

As a result, many of Dylan's wildlife paintings are based on the photographs he's taken. He's a patient photographer, often spending hours just to get a handful of photos. "The shots need to have the right composition and lighting," he said, "and to show some aspect of the animal's personality." His mom added, "People who observe Dylan's artwork say he captures the soul of the animal."

Dylan has had the opportunity to study some of his subjects in a very up-close and personal way, as he has frequently been given permission to go behind the scenes at zoos across the country. Next year, he plans to take his first African safari, possibly to Tanzania. "In order to be the best wildlife painter I can be, I need to observe the animals' behavior in their natural habitats," he said.

As Dylan approaches adulthood, he plans to take some trips to Africa, establish his own art gallery and carve out more time to pursue his painting career. When he's not exhibiting at juried art shows, Dylan and his mom split their time between two homes, one in Destin, the other in Smyrna, Ga. In his spare time, Dylan enjoys reading, basketball, rollerblading and mountain biking.